The second Research Pavilion will be bigger, better organised and more carefully planned than the first, promise curators Jan Kaila and Henk Slager. This year’s theme in Venice, Utopia of Access, is politically relevant, but there’s more to it than that. »

Anita Seppä, the Research Pavilion’s commissioner, has always been crossing boundaries in her work. If it was up to her, she would spend the whole summer in Venice sampling the international displays. »

The Sibelius Academy celebrates Finland’s centenary by forming a joint symphony orchestra with the Juilliard School. The orchestra is conducted by maestro Esa-Pekka Salonen, an alumnus of the Sibelius Academy and a regular guest at the Juilliard School. »

The name Backdrop refers to the cloth hanging at the rear of the stage in traditional theatre houses and commedia dell’arte open-air stages. It delineates the stage and separates it from the backstage. »